


2k18 inktober prompts

by keiyoko



Category: Final Fantasy VII, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Inktober, Inktober 2018, Multi, no beta we die like men, tags will be updated as the month goes on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-07-23 18:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16164653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keiyoko/pseuds/keiyoko
Summary: inktober prompts for this year!





	1. i: poisonous

**Author's Note:**

> cloud (unwillingly) fights a morbol and wins. genesis is understandably Not Happy.

“Your mission will be a piece of cake,” Cloud’s sergeant had told him.  “Just a quick look around near the Gongaga Reactor and that’s it.”

With the promise of an easy assignment, Cloud’s unit left for Gongaga and scouted out the ruins of the reactor. 

The mission brief had mentioned that the townsfolk were seeing more Touch Mes and Kimara Bugs lurking around the outskirts of the town, so Shinra decided to send in someone to check before the bigger monsters like Grand Horns started to show up.  The ‘someone’ ended up being Cloud’s squad and one Third Class who spent every moment on the transport bragging about how he was up for promotion for Second once he finished the current task. He was annoying, but if he was as great as he said he was, then they’d have an even easier time with the mission.

Their arrival in Gongaga was a simple affair, and as soon as the mayor gave the go-ahead they started their exploration.

“Hey, can you guys hear that?” The Third Class asked as they poked around the reactor.

Cloud exchanged glances with his squadmates and they shook their heads.  “...No, sir. Maybe it’s just a minor quake?”

“I definitely hear something coming.  Whatever it is, it sounds big.”

A minute later found Cloud holding the 3rd Class’s sword, looking down the gaping maw of the largest morbol he’d probably ever see while the rest of his unit hid in trees and behind nearby rocks.  It might be funny if this were a story being told to him, but it certainly wasn’t amusing when he was the one standing in front of the monster.

“Watch out for that thing’s breath!” The 3rd Class shouted, cowering behind a large hunk of scrap metal left over from one of the reactor walls.  He wanted to hit the man with the sword, but instead focused on the malboro in front of him. Beating up his superior officer could come later, if he could survive that long.

\---

Approximately twenty minutes later, Cloud woke up on a gurney inside the transport to the sound of the SOLDIER bragging about how he single-handedly took down a fully grown Great Malboro while the infantry members ran away screaming.

Cloud’s unit were rolling their eyes and shaking their heads, knowing full well that the morbol blood on the SOLDIER’s sword was put there by Cloud.  The 3rd Class had run back to Gongaga immediately after Cloud engaged the morbol, leaving the infantry members to fend for themselves. 

Luckily, all of the swordsmanship tips his four boyfriends had given him proved useful and Cloud managed to defeat the mass of writhing green tentacles.  He’d only gotten gassed once, ending up in him being poisoned and subdued. If the morbol had hit him a second time, Cloud might not’ve made it back without near immediate medical attention.  

It was hard to force his limbs to move, but with the help of one of his squadmates, he was able to retrieve the PHS Sephiroth had given him a few weeks prior.  Taking a quick shot of the IV in his arm, Cloud pasted it into the group chat captioned with ‘guess who got poisoned today?’ and hit send. Before any of his boyfriends responded to the image, he passed out in a poison-induced haze.

 

When Cloud came to, his mouth was drier than the Midgar wastelands and tasted even worse.  (On a dare from Zack, he’d eaten some of the dirt and won twenty gil. Tasted strangely like regular dirt, what a surprise.)  Bright lights blinded him from above, and without a doubt Cloud knew he was in the infirmary. 

Distantly he could hear the familiar sound of Genesis angrily arguing something with someone down the hall, possibly one of the nurses, and the pages of a book crinkling as they were turned.  

“Seph,” he croaked, turning his head to the side.  Cloud was greeted with the sight of his green-eyed boyfriend, dwarfing the plastic chair he sat in with a copy of LOVELESS open on his lap.

“I’m glad to see that you’re conscious.  Genesis is trying to convince the medical staff to heal you with materia, lest he do it himself.”  Was all the man said.

“Doesn’t Gen have a fully mastered Cure on him at all times?”

Sephiroth sighed and closed his book.  “I’m sure that if he can’t get a nurse to heal you, then he will himself.  It’s only a matter of minutes, if I’m to be honest. Gaia knows that if Genesis wants something, he’ll get it.”  Both of them snorted at the statement, knowing all too well that it was accurate. 

Genesis came in not a minute later, scowling and materia already glowing in his hand.   Before Cloud could even say hello, the man was casting a high level Cure that fully healed him.

“I take it that the nurses said no?” Sephiroth asked.

“Some nonsense about materia is reserved for injured SOLDIERs and that Cloud would be fine after a week or two.  I’m not about to let my poor chickabo suffer for ‘a week or two’.”

“Mm.  Thanks, Gen.” Cloud mumbled.  The Cure had made him a little drowsy, and he barely registered the feeling of Genesis gently ruffling his hair.


	2. ii: tranquil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the mountains of gusu are a quiet haven, until they are not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my first mdzs fic and its for inktober

The Cloud Recesses is a place where noise is an unwelcome stranger.

Everything is done in a precise, efficient manner without being loud or more trouble than needed.  The only source of sound is the waterfalls that flow in the mountains that house the Cloud Recesses, instruments played by experienced hands, and the lectures of Lan QiRen.  There is no unnecessary noise, none of the loud clamor that fills the markets of Lotus Pier or the gossip that runs rampant at Koi Tower.

Their reputation of being the most poised and dignified of the cultivation sects has always been upheld with a near-religious carefulness, as all of the disciples of GusuLan never raise their voice and always deal with the matter at hand in a calm, practiced manner.  

(If Lan WangJi puts his mind to it, the loudest thing he had ever heard was the sound of baby SiZhui crying for his father, but even then he didn’t make too much of a ruckus.)

Wei WuXian is none of these things.

He is the wild, untamable summer storm that comes without warning, the pitter patter of its rain hitting the roof of the jingshi while Lan Zhan sleeps.  He is the roar of the waterfall as it pours over the mountainside, splashing down into the lake below. He is the strength of Bichen slicing through monster after monster, hard and unbreakable no matter what its shining blade touches.  He is uninhibited and completely unpredictable, the polar opposite of Lan Zhan and everything he and his sect stands for.

Wei Ying and his brother arrive at the end of spring, bringing the promise of summer and warm nights with him.  Lan Zhan does not greet them at the gates like his uncle and his brother do, instead remaining inside the jingshi where there is no noise and he can concentrate.  Later that night, Lan Huan comes to him and tells him of how Jiang Cheng, son of Jiang FengMian and Yu ZiYuan and Nie HuaiSang, brother of Nie MingXue raptly listened to every word their uncle had said.  Wei WuXian had been the only one to roll his eyes and look out to the open sky, making Lan Zhan wrinkle his nose in distaste. His brother laughs, and tells him that it’s Lan Zhan’s turn to night patrol.

That night, there’s a smile in the dark bright enough to light up the darkness, two clay jars of Emperor’s Smile, and the sound of Bichen fruitlessly striking the roof tiles.  Wei Ying manages to drink an entire jar of rice wine before Lan Zhan has the sense to act, and later walks away without wobbling. Despite his apparent taste for rule breaking, Lan Zhan is vaguely impressed.

Wei WuXian, he later learns is the rule breaking boy's name, angers Lan QiRen the next day, causing his uncle to go so far as to throw a scroll at the disciple, breaking Rule no. 739.  It hits Nie HuaiSang square in the nose, and Lan Zhan finds himself thinking that he and Wei Ying will not get along at all.

The Library Pavilion remains the only place where Lan Zhan can find true peace and quiet now that the other sects’ disciples have all arrived, despite the Cloud Recesses being famed for always being tranquil and soothing.  No matter where he turns, Wei Ying is always there with his rambunctious smile and unruly ponytail, ready to say something outrageous to Lan WangJi.

He is in class, talking to Jiang Cheng and antagonizing Jin ZiXuan while Lan QiRen scolds them.  

He is outside the cold spring, loud and splashing even when Lan Zhan makes it clear that his presence is not welcome.

He is in the dining hall, complaining that the food of Gusu is too bland, too tasteless while his brother says he just puts too much spice in his food.

He is in the fields, always chasing rabbits and napping in the warm summer sun while the other disciples train.

Then he appears in the pavilion, and the jingshi becomes Lan Zhan’s last resort for solitude.  

Wei Ying is not someone who can be easily ignored, he discovers.  The boy is always chattering about this or that, wheedling and plying words from Lan WangJi’s otherwise silent mouth.  His loud voice and prideful nature demand attention, and Lan WangJi is determined not to give it to him.  In the end, the boy always gets his way, whether it be an angry reaction or a reluctant agreement to whatever he’d just said.  It's infuriating and impressive at the same time, how annoying one disciple can be. 

Once he gets passed the initial irritation, Lan WangJi thinks that maybe, he and Wei Ying could be friends.

(And then a month passes, and Wei WuXian leaves the Library Pavilion with his sword and a wild laugh, leaving behind scattered papers and the sliver of rebellion in Lan Zhan’s heart.)

More time passes, and then Jiang FengMian is there to collect his wayward son after he instigates a fight with Jin ZiXuan.  He is not sad to see Wei WuXian go, but there is a little nagging voice in the back of his mind saying otherwise that he dismisses.

His brother Jiang Cheng stays behind and he is slightly better company that Wei Ying was, speaking when appropriate and never stepping out of line the way his adopted sibling did.  Nie HuaiSang is too scared to even come near Lan WangJi, which he supposes is for the best. (If he said accidentally said anything to offend one of the Twin Jades, his older brother was sure to break at least one of his bones.)  They leave all too soon, one year passing like the blink of an eye without the loud, undisciplined shadow of Wei Ying looming above them. Quiet returns to the Cloud Recesses, but Lan Zhan can feel something important missing, as if there were a large hole carved into his chest.

(Fourteen years and too many complications later, Lan Zhan realizes that Wei Ying was the thing that was missing.)


	3. iii: roasted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which zack holds a yearly camping trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, first late entry

At the end of the year, Zack invited everyone to his yearly summer camping trip.  Usually, he kept it small and only invited Cloud, Aerith, and Angeal when the older man could make it, but this year Zack invited as many people as possible.

All of Cloud’s band, AVALANCHE, some of Zack’s friends who had graduated the year or two years before, a few other friends who attended MidgarU’s rival school, and even some of the kids from the business department though no one could figure out why.  Nearly all of the invites were accepted with a yes, which came as a surprise to Zack. Something about, “Gen hates camping, Seph hates claustrophobic spaces i.e. tents, and Leon is one of the most antisocial people I know. He’s like, on par with you."  

Cloud had eh’ed and recalled that Genesis was the redheaded design major Zack met through Angeal in his freshman year and that Sephiroth was one of the school’s most famous alumni, even if he couldn’t remember _why_ exactly he was so well known.

Then a month later, Cloud found himself sandwiched between the tent wall and Zack, sleeping in a two person tent with three full grown men.  The third tentmate was Aerith’s adopted brother, Squall-Leon something or other. Aerith called him Squall, Zack called him Leon, and Cloud was _so_  confused.

He blearily checked his phone and quietly groaned when he saw that it was starting to be closer to three in the morning and Cloud wasn’t getting any sleepier.  It was probably the new meds his doctor started him on, but it could also be the fact that he could hear Barrett snoring five tents over. The man snored like a symphony of chainsaws and heavy machinery, and he couldn’t fathom how Vincent could stand the noise.  Cid, on the other hand, sounded more like two chainsaws and a tractor opposed to an entire goddamn orchestra and therefore was used to loud noise, but the other man was quiet as the dead as he slept.

“C’n hear ya thinkin’ from here,” Zack sleepily slurred, accent coming out and making him drop a syllable or two.

“Sorry for waking you up.” He apologized.

The man shook his head.  “‘S your friend with the metal arm.  Barret? Has anyone told ‘im he sounds like seven bears and a hippo?”

“No, but that’s a new one.” Cloud snorted.  “Move over, I’m going for a walk.”

With a little struggling and too many elbows to the stomach, Cloud was able to escape the confines of the tent.  What he wasn’t expecting was Zack crawling out after him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. (Miraculously, they hadn’t woken Squall/Leon with all the moving around.)

“When this happens in horror movies, th’ cute blond always ends up being killed first.” He said.  “So ‘M comin’ with ya.”

“You watch too many scary movies.”

Zack shrugged and they moved away from the tents, not wanting to accidentally wake anyone up.  Tifa was one of the lightest sleepers either of the boys knew, and didn’t like the prospect of being on the business end of one of the woman’s punches.  

They grabbed their jackets from where they’d left them around the dying embers of the campfire earlier that night, only to realize that Cloud had taken Zack’s jacket when the familiar scent of his soap hit his nose.  Neither of them offered to trade back, even if Cloud’s was a little too short and Zack’s a little too long.

“So, where we goin’?”  Zack asked, slowly working his way up to being fully awake.  

“Dunno.”  Cloud shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets and picked a random direction to walk in.  The other boy followed like puppy chasing master, not bothering to ask his question again.

The path Cloud had chosen lead them to one of the nearby lakes.  Zack had taken one look at the still, smooth water and started to take off his jacket before Cloud gave him a look and dragged him a few feet back from the shoreline.

“You are _not_ going swimming this early in the morning.” He scolded.  “At least wait until after breakfast, you hydrophilic.”

Zack wrinkled his nose and reluctantly slid the jacket back over his shoulders.  “‘S too early to be usin’ big words like that, man.”

Cloud just rolled his eyes and started walking away, slowly making his way around the lake.  The cold air coming off the water was invigorating him, reminding the man of snow and mountains that he’d traded in for towers of steel and layers of low-hanging smog.  He still wasn’t tired, and kept walking.

“Hey, head-in-the-clouds,” Zack called after him.  “If you listen closely, you can hear Barret from here!”  

‘Here’ ended up being a spot next to a copse of pine trees.  Cloud strained his ears and true to his friend’s word, he could faintly hear the chainsaw rumble of Barret’s snores.  It made him laugh and wonder if any of the girls were awake yet, though if they were, one of them (most likely Tifa,) would’ve unzipped their tent and woken Barret in order to stop his god awful snoring.  

“That’s still not funny.” He muttered, wishing Genesis had never thought of the nickname.   If he hadn’t, Zack would’ve gone on calling him ‘Spike’ or ‘Chocobo-head’ for the rest of his life and that was just fine with him.  

“Sure it is!  Though, I do like chocobo-head better.  Doesn’t grate on your nerves as much though, so head-in-the-clouds it is.”   Cloud groaned.

They picked a spot next to the shoreline that had a nice view and sat down to talk.  For about twenty minutes they had a light, easy-going conversation before they found themselves walking towards the little 24/7 liquor shop they’d seen earlier in the day heading into the campgrounds.

\--

“Where’d you two little gremlins find marshmallows?” Aerith asked that night as they gathered around a large bonfire near the lake.  

“ _Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess,_ ” Genesis cryptically replied.  Sephiroth shot his boyfriend a look, and the stick Tifa’d been holding snapped.  Angeal, knowing what was about to happen, sighed.

“One more line of that dumb poem and I take a razor to your pretty copper hair,” she threatened.  

Yuffie leaned over to whisper to Zack.  “Hey, why’s Teef so angry ‘bout a lil bit of poetry?”

“It’s not poetry, it’s Gen.” He replied.  “Apparently he waltzed into her bar once and made an ass of himself.”

“Zackary, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, Tifa threw the first insult.”

“I did not!  You were harassing one of my customers, that’s what!  I stepped in to defend her-”

“You were flirting with someone, Genesis?” Sephiroth interjected with an arched brow.

His boyfriend angrily sighed.  “No! Heidegger, the one from Marketing?  He was giving Elena that _look_ \- see, Seph knows what I’m talking about - and I was pretending to be her boyfriend so that he would back off!”

“Please, you just wanted to flirt with her.”  Tifa snorted. “I remember _very_ clearly that you were the one who was a little too close to her.”

The two adults continued to bicker over an incident that had happened years ago.  Most of the group let them argue, used to the loud, verbal spars that occured when they were in the same room together.  

“Honestly, people these days have no class.” Genesis remarked.

“Class?  You wanna talk class?  At least I don’t own a coat that makes me look like a BDSM reject!”

Sephiroth snorted into his drink (“Like you’re one to laugh,” Angeal muttered into his hand,) and Yuffie pumped her fist into the air.  “Sweet burn, Teef!”

“Oh, that’s it,” the redhead said, abruptly standing up.  

Before the situation could escalate, Cid threw a log between Tifa and Genesis.

“No fightin’!  Y’all wanna go at it, y’all fuckin’ sit yer asses down and wait for goddamn mornin’!  I ain’t havin’ no shit goin’ down after hours, y’hear?”

Genesis smirked in victory while Tifa glared daggers at him.  The two had a long and complicated relationship that mostly involved hate and grudging respect, but Cloud was surprised that Tifa had willingly agreed to go on a two week camping trip with Genesis.

Leon rolled his eyes at their antics and leaned over so his sister could hear the answer to her question.  “Zack and Cloud went to the camp store down the road this morning. I guess they picked them up then.”

“Ah.” Aerith hummed.  “Well, what are you all waiting for?  Grab some sticks, and lets roast these!”

The bags of marshmallows were passed around while Barret and Cid peeled sticks for roasting.  Genesis muttered something about dirt, but nevertheless accepted the stick Angeal handed to him.  

Someone put on a playlist while they toasted their marshmallows and they all enjoyed each other’s company as the fire crackled.  The smell of ‘slightly’ burnt marshmallows (“That’s burnt, Zack.” “Naaah, it’s just a lil’ overdone.” “It’s basically charcoal, just admit it!”) was enough to lure the Business major kids out of their tent and they joined the circle of people around the campfire as well.  

As the night dragged on and more beer cans were tossed into the trash bags, Cloud decided that it was the best camping trip he’d ever been on.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the business kids are just the turks, who ended up just lurking in the tents for most of the trip, and the coat tifa is referencing is the one gen appears in at the end of doc.


	4. iv: family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wei ying, from the start of his life until now, has always had a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowow day iv on day x?? (im so behind, may jake parker and the inktober gods have mercy on me)
> 
> mild spoilers for ch.72 of the novel!

Wei Ying vaguely remembers the first time he met his (adopted) son.  

It had been the day Wen Qing came to him, tears staining her face and dirt smudging the white of her robes.  She’d begged him to find Wen Ning, so he’d barged in on a private banquet that the LanlingJin Sect threw, angered that Wen Ning had gone missing.  

He found the body of his friend in Qiongqi, missing half his ribs and days-old dried blood staining the corner of his lips.  It made his own blood boil, but Wei WuXian had already given Wen Ning his revenge. 

As they were getting ready to leave,Wen Qing’s grandmother, she’d called the woman ‘granny’ at least, had been struggling to hold both the reins and the child on her back.  She couldn’t ride a horse and hold her grandson at the same time, so he’d plucked the child from her back despite the blatant fear in their eyes. A-Yuan had regarded him with a rather intelligent gaze despite being around two years old, and remained quiet while his grandmother hysterically yelled.

He hadn’t meant to seem like he was  _ kidnapping _ the boy for GuanYin’s sake, but at the time he couldn’t think about anything else aside from the fact that  _ Wen Ning was dead _ and that they had to leave Qiongqi Path as soon as humanly possible.  Commaning Wen Ning to kill his murderers had been enough of a rash decision, judging by the terror in everyone’s expressions, and Wei WuXian didn’t need any more blood on his hands than he already did.  

(A-Yuan was quiet and calm as they rode out of Qiongqi, the complete opposite of the unspeakable rage Wei Ying felt.)

Flash forward a few weeks and Granny Wen’s age finally caught up to her.  The rest of the party was sure that it had something to do with the cruel treatment in Qiongqi, but none of them said it out loud.

Without his grandmother, A-Yuan became an orphan.  Wen Qing occasionally looked after him while they were on the road, but she had never been interested in motherhood and was still in mourning over her younger brother.  Wei Ying let her be, unfortunately already intimate with the grief Wen Qing felt. 

When they finally arrived in Lotus Pier, Wei WuXian decided that he would adopt the little boy as his son.  He was Wen Ning and Wen Qing’s cousin after all, and felt that he owed them that.

A-Yuan was wary of him at first, always lingering behind Wei WuXian like a shadow until Wen Qing was able to convince him that no matter how scary he acted, Wei Ying was still (relatively) harmless.  The fact that he tirelessly sought a way to bring Wen Ning back probably helped too, further proving that he wasn’t as scary as he seemed.

The first time Wen Ning opened his eyes and they weren’t blank and white, his sister collapsed on the spot and cried.  A-Yuan hadn’t reacted as strongly, simply smiling and patting Wen Ning’s slightly matted hair and asked him to take a bath.  (“That is  _ not _ what you should say to him, A-Yuan,” Wei Ying laughed.  The boy wrinkled his nose. “But he  _ smells _ , A-Ba!”)

Of course, Wen Ning hid himself away for a few days after awakening, ashamed of being a fierce corpse, but the three of them didn’t care.  He was ‘alive’ in a sense, and that was all that mattered to them.

All four of them made a little family, even if it was a little unconventional, and Wei Ying would never admit it out loud, but he  _ adored _ his tiny family.  Both Wens reminded him of what life was like when he was younger, Wen Qing taking Jiang Cheng’s place and Wen Ning replacing A-Li.  The only difference was A-Yuan, but Wei Ying loved him nonetheless. Jiang Cheng was still his brother, but even Wei WuXian could feel them slowly drifting apart as the days passed.   


* * *

Wen Qing was the first one to die.

They had been content, living in YiLing where no one had bothered them.  Sure, there’d been a few side glances from townsfolk wondering why Wei WuXian was in their town, but no one openly did anything.  However, a few cultivators began to see him as a threat. 

LanlingJin above all disliked Wei Ying, denouncing his ways of demonic cultivation and demanded he hand over the Tiger Seal.  That ended up with Wen Qing sacrificing herself to save A-Yuan from the sword of a LanlingJin cultivator’s sword. Wen Ning hadn’t cried, being a corpse, but he was still overcome with grief.  A-Yuan, on the other hand, bawled his eyes out at the loss of his cousin. 

The three of them buried her in QiShan, sneaking past the cultivators to carefully lay Wen Qing’s body with those of her parents.  Wei WuXian had wanted to turn her into a fierce corpse like her brother, but Wen Qing adamantly refused. As a healer, it was only natural for her to die a single death.

They paid their respects to the three family members, and Wen Ning hoped that one day, he too might be buried there with his family.

 

Wei WuXian built them a house near LuanZang Gang after that.  The burial mounds was where it was the quietest and the easiest to work, being secluded and a place where the cultivators wouldn’t dare step foot in.  He also wanted A-Yuan to be as close to him as possible, but Wei Ying was unwilling to bring him to the heart of LuanZang Gang where the workshop was. It was too dangerous for anyone but him and Wen Ning, so the house was built.

If anything, it reminded Wei WuXian of his time in the Cloud Recesses when he was fifteen.  Every day for a month, he would rise early and climb the stone steps to the Library Pavilion to antagonize Lan WangJi.  Up at dawn and down before nightfall, just as he did now. He didn’t mind in the slightest, because seeing A-Yuan’s smile upon his return was more than enough to make ti worth the trouble.

A-Li found him once, completely on accident one day while Wei WuXian was traveling to YiLing for supplies.  She and Jin ZiXuan had been in the area, the latter leading a few night-hunts around YiLing.

She tried to reason with him, begging, even, for him to return home to Lotus Pier or go to Gusu with Lan WangJi.  

It stung a little, when Wei Ying realized that every time Jiang YanLi said ‘home’, he did not think of Jiang Cheng or Lotus Pier, but instead of A-Yuan and the little house in YiLing.

Jin ZiXuan had been nearby and heard his wife, then before he knew it, Wei WuXian found himself surrounded by yellow uniforms and white Sparks Amidst Snow.  He felt betrayed, hurt that his  _ shijie _ would trick him like that, and hastily called Wen Ning to help him escape.  It would be a pain and a waste of effort to try and summon any fierce corpses that were lurking, so he didn’t bother.

Wei WuXian and Wen Ning had almost gotten away before one of the disciples with Jin ZiXuan lifted a flute to their mouth and began to play.

It had none of the skill that Wei WuXian’s music had, but it was more than enough to confuse Wen Ning.  He could tell that the cultivators wanted Wen Ning to turn on his friend, to rip him to pieces like he’d done to countless other cultivators, but Wei WuXian’s power was stronger than that.  Wen Ning was able to fight the other cultivator’s order and ended up killing everyone but Wei Ying in the process. (He’d apologized afterwards, profusely and repeatedly, trying to atone for killing A-Li and her husband, but Wei Ying told him the same thing every time his friend apologized.   _ It wasn’t your fault, Wen Ning.  It’s not you who killed them. _ )  He’d cried once, and destroyed a forest in his grief, cursing the world for taking  _ shijie _ from him.  It was unfair and if Jin ZiXuan hadn’t tried to interfere, then everyone could’ve walked away.  But no. Instead, Jiang YanLi and Jin ZiXuan left behind one son, a sword, and a seedling of hate that would blossom into a burning fire.  

Wei Ying thought about taking the little Jin as his son like he had with A-Yuan, but ultimately decided that he would be better off at Jiang Cheng’s side.  If he adopted Little Jin as well, not only would Jiang Cheng hate him more, but the cultivators would only have more reason to detest him. 

Then a group of cultivators, long having been ordered to detain Wei WuXian on sight, found Wen Ning on day while he was in YiLing.  He’d been asked to keep an eye out for any yellow or purple robes, but Wen Ning never returned from his patrol. A-Yuan had worried, asking his A-Ba where  _ gege _ was for hour on end and it wasn’t until Wei Ying lifted Chenqing to his lips that he realized something was wrong.

The smell of smoke had finally reached their little house by the time it was too late, and Wen Ning never returned home.

A-Yuan had cried then too, both because another member of his family was gone and because now, Wen Ning would never be buried with his sister and parents in QiShan.  Whatever ashes he had left behind had probably been scattered on the wind. (Or worse, into LuanZang Gang.) Wei Ying comforted his son, promising that no matter what, he would protect him from anything that dared to hut him.  

The cruel hands of fate would not take A-Yuan from him like it took Wen Ning or the Jiangs.

 

Too soon, the day when the Four Clans marched on LuanZang Gang approached.  Wei WuXian hid his son away where the cultivators would not find him and promised to come back.   _ A-Ba will return when everything’s safe, _ he’d vowed, fully intending on following through.  

Fate had other plans in store for him, however, and Wei Ying died on LuanZang Gang next to the man whom he used to call ‘brother’.  His only regret was that he didn’t get to see A-Yuan’s smiling face one last time, but at least he knew that his son would be safe.

(What he didn’t plan on was A-Yuan taking after his adoptive father and leaving when told not to, only to stumble into HanGuang-Jun.)

* * *

Opening his eyes to the view of an unfamiliar ceiling, Wei Ying thought that he was back in his house at YiLing with Wen Ning and A-Yuan before he received a swift kick to the ribs.   _ That _ was most certainly not any of his family members.  (Later, he would learn that it was Mo Village where he woke, and that he was no longer in his own body, but that of Mo XuanYu’s.)

There were two GusuLan cultivators in the small village, but for the first time in years Wei Ying didn’t feel the same fight-or-flight response he had back when the name ‘YiLing Patriarch’ struck fear into the hearts of everyone.  If he recalled correctly, the two junior cultivators were named Lan JingYi and Lan SiZhui. For some odd reason, the shape of Lan SiZhui’s face was familiar. The longer he started at the boy, the stronger the pain in his chest grew.  

(You know how the rest of the story goes.)

 

Now, finally safe with Lan Zhan, Wei WuXian fondly recalls the memories of his family from before.  He hadn’t been able to remember much, something clouding his mind, but during the second siege of LuanZang Gang, the fog lifted and everything snapped into place.  The longer he stood in the wreckage of his old workshop, fighting alongside Lan Zhan and SiZhui, the more me remembered. Living with Wen Ning, the tiny boy he’d called his son, and for the very first time, Wei Ying found himself wondering what had happened to him.

The answer was fairly obvious, but Wei WuXian was blind to most things.  It took him more than a month to finally see that A-Yuan had been standing next to him for the entire journey, from the moment when he woke to Yi City, and even now.  (Lan Zhan had quietly laughed at him and called SiZhui into the jingshi and the three of them had the family reunion they deserved.)

Wistfully looking out the window, Wei Ying can’t help but ignore whatever nonsense his husband is spouting in favor of focusing on where A-Yuan is sitting in the shade of a magnolia tree with Lan JingYi and Jin Ling.  The three boys are laughing and all sharing a look that Wei Ying is very familiar with. It’s the same lovestruck gaze that Jiang Cheng gives to Lan XiChen when he thinks that no one is looking and that Wei Ying and Lan Zhan constantly throw back and forth regardless of their company.

With a smile, Wei Ying can’t help but think that his small family is about to get a little bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when the month of halloween is over, do yall want me to post the mdzs fics as actual standalone works?


	5. v: chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1-a has a movie night and brings vines into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> technically this is my first bnha piece since aizawa and his 30 smthn kids isnt quite true fanfic

For the first time in a while, Aizawa had given his class a day off.  They deserved it, after the tiring week they’d had, and he decided that one day wouldn’t hurt him.  

All of them had unanimously decided to have a Ghibli marathon, as Kaminari and Tsuyu owned all of the movies between them.  Momo also brought her small collection of Shinkai films, just in case they finished all of the Ghibli movies and had extra time.  

Jirou had just finished setting up the stereo system when Kirishima walked in, with Mirio and Amajiki in tow.

“Hey, it’s alright if they watch with us too, right?” He asked, hopefully looking at his classmates.

“Of course!” Uraraka exclaimed.  “The more the merrier!” 

“See, Amajiki-senpai? I told you everything would be fine.” 

The older boy muttered something under his breath but none of 1-A caught what he’d said.  

“I’m putting on Howl’s Moving Castle, so get your asses in your seats!” Bakugou shouted.  

While the trailers were still playing, the rest of the class came into the living room and arranged themselves into a comfortable spot.  Iida was the last to come in, running drinks and snacks from the kitchen to the little tables dotting the common room. He almost tripped once, foot catching on Hagakure, but Uraraka nearly toppled off the couch trying to use her quirk on him.  

“Spec-fucking-tacular save, can we start now?”  Bakugou muttered. 

Kirishima swatted his leg.  “Be nice, Katsuki!” 

The blond muttered a few curses under his breath but then the movie was playing, so everyone shut up.

 

Somewhere after Ponyo and before Kimi no Na Wa, 1-A took a short intermission.  Some of the class needed to take a piss and some wanted to make an actual lunch after eating their weight in popcorn and candy, so they agreed to stop watching for an hour or so.  

The ones not making food or in the bathrooms were taking the opportunity to stretch out on the couches, taking up a couch each and were on their phones.  Uraraka was texting Komori from 1-B, sending the other girl pictures of Satou who’d fallen asleep half in a chair, half on the floor. She was jealous that Aizawa had given them the day off while everyone else was still in classes, and then almost had her phone confiscated.  

“Who’re you texting?” Hagakure asked, apparently leaning over the couch (and one of Shouji’s sleeping hand-turned-eye,) to look at Tokoyami’s phone.

“...No comment.”   
That only served to spur her on.  “Ooh! Is it your brother?”

“Fumikage doesn’t have any siblings.”  One of Shouji’s hands said. 

“You know who I mean!  I’m talking about Hawks!”

A collective groan came from everyone in the room.  For about a week, Hagakure and Kaminari had been having a contest to see who could create the most believable-unbelievable conspiracy theory about their classmates and other Pro Heroes.  Kaminari had been winning with #DabiisaTodoroki for a few days but then his friend had raised, in challenge, #BirdBros. Along with that came a few screenshots of text conversations between Hawks and their classmate, which was more than enough for her to claim that Tokoyami and Hawks were related.

“There’s no way he’s Tokoyami’s brother!”  Kirishima protested. “You’ve met Tokoyami’s family, Hagakure!” 

Bakugou snorted.  “The guy with wings?  He looks like Chicken Little.”

The class laughed, agreeing with Bakugou.  Maybe Hawks didn’t exactly resemble Chicken Little, but the pale hair and his nose really did it for him.  

“Hey, you should text him that.  2000 yen if you send that to him, haha.”  Sero suggested. Then in a scandalized tone,  _ “Adam!” _   Even Tamaki and Mirio laughed at that.

 

Elsewhere, Hawks was at home in his apartment with Dabi.  He hadn’t had anything better to do, so he’d invited the other man over to watch Venom with him.  Now, they were sitting on the couch with leftover popcorn and reminiscing about a hero job Hawks had the other week where he was called out to chase none other than Dabi himself.

“You’re were such a chicken.” Dabi dryly said, looking Hawks dead in the eye.  “I can’t believe I’m dating a coward.”

His winged boyfriend scrunched up his face in disbelief.  “I’m not a coward!”

“Mmhm, says the one who refused to jump out of the window.  I dived for it like it was food and I was a starving man. And I’m the one who  _ doesn’t   _ have wings.”

“My feathers were thinned, and there was no way I wouldn’t’ve broken something.” Hawks protested.  

They bickered about it for a little bit before one of their phones beeped with a new message; Dabi reached over to check it.  

 

>>tokoyami: tell hawks that he looks like chicken little

>>tokoyami: dont question just do

 

“...”

“What’s it say?  Is it from Enji?”  The hopeful little light in Hawks’ eyes at the thought of a text from Endeavor disgusted him.   He still wasn’t sure if his boyfriend idolized his father out of actual preference or if he did it just to annoy him. 

“Tokoyami says you look like Chicken Little.”

If he listened closely, Dabi could hear the sound of his boyfriend’s jaw hitting the floor.    Of course, he knew what Tokoyami was talking about, but just to have a little fun, Dabi asked, “What, is it some kind of insult between teenagers?  I mean, you do resemble him a bit.”

“Stop saying I look like Chicken Little!  He’s  _ dumb _ , and a  _ coward _ !  And I am NOT a coward!”

 

>>tokoyami: did you say it

<<dabi: yh

<<dabi: why r u sending vine memes

>>tokoyami: sero wanted me to

>>tokoyami: and i won 2000 yen from kirishima, thanks

<<dabi: welc

 

Dabi snickered and slipped his phone into his pocket before turning back to Hawks.

“I didn’t say you were a coward, or that you were dumb,” he pointed out.  “You said that on your own.”

“Well I’m not a coward.”

“And my name isn’t Dabi.”

“It isn’t.”

“Shush.  And I think you still look like Chicken Little.”

 

The angered squawk he made was worth the mess of feathers left on the couch.

**Author's Note:**

> come check out my [tumblr](https://kae-and-boi.tumblr.com) [discord](https://discord.gg/acjRmqm) and other [tumblr](https://sacrasm.tumblr.com)


End file.
